Haute Time Gets a Hands-On Look at the HYT H2 at BaselWorld
One of our favorite brands took their creations to the next level at BaselWorld; the launch of HYT’s H2. We saw the plans for this timepiece back when we were in Geneva for SIHH; during a lunch meeting with company CEO Vincent Perriard, he showed us on his laptop the creation of the HYT H2, which would be launched at BaselWorld.
I was surprised and excited when we got the press release last month confirming the launch at BaselWorld, as well as specs for this watch. When I was finally able to see the piece, I was very impressed. The H2 takes my favorite Audemars Piguet concept into a new model. For the H2, Vincent chose to work with Audemars Piguet’s production facility Renaud et Papi SA (one of three production sites owned by Audemars Piguet). The team at Renaud et Papi SA, who are known as “hydro mechanical horologists”, had worked on the Audemars Piguet carbon concept piece and reinvented the H1 into a more complicated piece. The amazing H2 timepiece is the next example of what incorporating fluidics into watchmaking means.
The H2 by HYT features a 48.8mm black DLC titanium case, with microblasted and satin finishes. The case houses an exclusive HYT calibre mechanical with manual winding movement, and an 8-day power reserve. The H2 functions include Retrograde fluidic hours, minutes with a jumping hand at 30 minutes, crown position indicator, and temperature indicator.
This watch is very special, and there is nobody more excited about the success of this brand. We feel they have developed great pieces, and are developing a powerful niche in the luxury watch industry.
Photos by Seth Semilof.